How do you feel about foreign language cards?

[PHHETT]

Of course two years is not a lot, even if you had classes every day. However I believe you usually start in high school, at about age 14? Thats already quite late I think. Of course, its still very possible to learn a language starting even as an adult, but it certainly gets harder (I experienced that myself with french, because I stupidly took latin as second mandatory language in school...and not french).

My kids both started english classes in elementary school (8 years), thats now standard in Germany. Back when I was a kid starting age was 10.

[CleanBelwas]

I studied English Language back in my studious days, in part because I was so bad at learning foreign languages I thought I could at least get a better grasp of the one I do know.

One module I studied was child language acquisition. PHHETT, you are totally right that it does get harder after a certain point. For most people, 12 years old is considered the cut off. It's obviously not a hard and fast rule, but generally most people will find it considerably easier if they start learning before the age of 12.

I'm a little too far gone and naturally terrible at it, but I'll definitely be encouraging my kids to learn while they're young.

[Slyvester12]

The American education system is not well suited to teach languages, usually. I took Spanish for FOUR years and still can only read and speak in broken phrases. It takes a large commitment and constant practice. I took Japanese for three years in college, and it wasn't until I had lived in Japan for over a year that I became reasonably comfortable with the language.

Asking high school students to learn and retain another language as just another requirement doesn't seem likely to ever succeed. It should be encouraged as a much longer commitment, maybe all four years of high school, and finding a good study abroad program for immersion should be a priority.

[WizardSpartan]

Yeah, America is messed up in that the earliest you would learn a 2nd language is high school (years 9-12), when we are already teenagers. It's treated more as a required class to pass where we actually don't need to become fluent in any form, and everybody just stops speaking that language as soon as their required credits are complete.

I would have loved to learn another language like Spanish or German as a young kid, as it would have likely stuck with me well.

[stuffnsuch]

I once accidentally ordered ordered two foreign language cards for a new commander deck I was building.  One was a very simple anthem effect and was in Spanish, which I understand well enough to be able to translate accurately.  The other was a planeswalker with a static effect and the usual activated abilities, each of which was somewhat technical and was in Japanese, which I am nowhere near being able to translate at all.  With so much on the card in such an unfamiliar language, and only being one out of 100, and one deck out of a dozen, I just never was going to use the card enough to memorize it.  I recently got tired of having to pull out my phone every time I draw a single card in my deck, just so I can remember every ability it has.  Not to mention I was telegraphing to my play group that I had that card if I started pulling up the card on my phone, since it was the only thing I ever had to look up.  I decided to replace the planeswalker, but at the time, I also considered replacing the Spanish card.  I decided not to, since it's perfectly functional and I actually enjoy playing the foreign language card in that case because it's unique.  I noticed that as long as it doesn't effect or slow down game play, having a foreign language card can be fun, interesting, unique, or just a way to save some money, but when it becomes a hassle for you or others, it's probably best to stick to the language you'll be playing in.

[Xaarvaxus]

This coming from your classic ignorant Brit who can only speak English (not through lack of trying, I'm just naturally very bad at learning other languages it turns out).

This makes me feel a little less bad, as an ignorant American. I had to take 2 years of a foreign language in school (I took German), and despite having one of the best teachers I have ever had in my years of school, I just didn't absorb the language well. Ah well.

Through various levels of schooling [and beyond] I've failed to absorb French after 3 years, German after a semester, Russian after 2 semesters and Italian after a 12 week course taken on my own.  The biggest reason for the failure was not truly being all that committed to the task, at least on the subconscious level and treating the learning like it was work.  I'm doing far better with Japanese [still very much beginner level] because I really want to learn this language and am actually having fun pursuing it.  The foreign language Magic cards are a fun aid [I'm looking forward to the first game where I can lay down Supreme Verdict and say "shikou no hyouketsu!", one of the few cards I've at least learned the card name to...I think].  Looking for Japanese bands to listen to and trying to learn enough so I can try listening to a Nippon League baseball broadcast are other ways of tying my interests together with learning.

And don't overestimate children's ability to pick up languages easily as the biggest advantage they have is time.  Remember, after 6+ years of a language they are just barely able to handle the basics.  Adults have already learned how to learn and that can be an advantage as well.  An adult who can immerse themselves into the language and culture [which the babies and little kids are doing to learn their first language] and can otherwise put in the time can pick up most languages* in less than a year to the same or better proficiency as that 6 year old who took, well, 6 years to get that far.  Obviously without the language petri dish and dedicated time it takes longer but one shouldn't talk themselves out of being able to do this simply because they think they've missed the boat due to age.

*depending on what your native tongue is, some languages are easier to learn than others.  French, in theory, is easier to learn for a native English speaker than Chinese or Arabic.

[Slyvester12]

I can lay down Supreme Verdict and say "shikou no hyouketsu!"

Yeah, the translation is 至高の評決, Shikou no Hyouketsu. Luckily,  that one translates pretty directly. One that's always bothered me is Damnation. It's translation is 滅び, Horobi. That's literally "destruction" in Japanese. Not even close. Ugh.